Method and means for handling flexible strip material



y 1968 J. 'r. SCHRECK, JR., ETAL 3,385,489

METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE. STRIP MATERIAL Filed April 1, 1966 I 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS .ramv mamas sumac/1.7m

CLIFTON was: LEMb/VJ' 81 1968 .1. T. SCHRECK, JR.. ETAL 3,385,489

METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL Filed April 1, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 7L mm mamas May 28, 1968 J. T. SCHRECK, JR. ETAL 3,385,439

METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 1, 1966 f'z'yrzb JWHIIIIIIIIIHQ 1 2 b .700 I'M/111550186275; JR 6 0 CLIFTON 116N LEMONS i 1968 J. T. SCHRECK, 4a.. ETAL 3,385,489

METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 1, 1966 Q K\ N INVENTORS JOl/IY TMJS 500750 #2 a w \nN an m May.2 8 *1968 J. T; sczumecKQ JR. ETAL. 3, 89 I "us'raonvlmn anus Eon naunum FLEXIBLE stair mi'rnmm Filed April 1;"

8 sheeis sheet' .5

May 28, 1968 J. T. SCHRECK, JR..- ETAL 3,335,489

METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL Fi1'ed April 1. 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent Ofice 3,385,489 Patented May 28, 1968 3,385,489 METHOD AND MEANS FOR HANDLING FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL John Thomas Schreck, Jr., Greensboro, and Clifton Eugene Lemons, McLeansville, N.C., assignors to AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

Filed Apr. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 539,446 17 Claims. (Cl. 2264) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method and means for plating flexible strip material by which the strip material is handled through the sequential plating treatment stations in serially arranged looping configurations oriented transversely with respect to the direction of progress so that the strip material is made to follow a spiral-like path with resulting exceptional compactness in the plating line arrangement and improved high-speed operating capability.

The present invention relates to a method and means for handling flexible strip material in a continuous plating process, and more particularly to a method and means for handling flexible strip material in continuous lengths for delivery in strip form through the sequential treatment stations required for plating in a manner that orients the strip material effectively for continuous synchronized high-speed operation in a compact plating line arrangement.

Briefly described, the present invention involves a methd and means for providing a continuous length supply of flexible strip material, withdrawing the material in strip form from the supply, training the withdrawn strip material in serially arranged looping configurations for traveling immersion successively at sequential plating treatment stations, while orienting the trained disposition of the looping configurations transversely with respect to the direction in which the strip material must progress successively through the plating treatment stations, and while causing the traveling strip material to progress successively through the plating treatment stations by arranging the transverse orientation at which the looping configurations are trained to impose a spiral-like path on the strip material.

This transverse orientation of looping configurations through a plating line for spiral-like progression of strip material significantly simplifies the necessary handling arrangement and effectively ties together the training of the strip material at all of the treatment stations, such that a single common drive means can be disposed for driving the strip material at a plurality of coaxial locations through the entire line to obtain synchronized high operating speeds reliably without the usual need for compensating means between treatment stations for adjustment of the strip material advance in relation to variations in the driving speeds in the different treatment stations thereby simplifying the system and permitting a compact plating line arrangement; yet this common coaxial drive is readily adaptable to impose variations in the applied drive for advantageous modulation of the tension and slackness in the strip material as desired at particular treatment stations. In addition, the transverse orientation of the looping configurations through the plating line permits the strip material training means and the common drive means to be mounted on a common supporting frame that is shiftable to move the training means and drive means as a unit simply and readily between operative and inoperative positions with respect to the treatment stations without disrupting the general looping configuration orientation along the plating line.

The aforementioned synchronized high-speed drive is further facilitated in the present invention by forming a plurality of looping configurations of strip material intermediate the supply and the treatment stations and a final plurality subsequent to the treatment stations for accumulating reserves of strip material that can be varied in extent during operation so that the advance of strip material through the treatment stations is isolated from fluctuations in the supply and take-up of the strip material, with the strip material being yieldably retarded as it leaves the intermediate looping configurations and being subjected to a yieldable advancing force as it advances into the final looping configurations, thereby tensioning the strip material as it advances through the treatment stations for effective maintenance of the synchronized highspeed plating operation in the treatment stations independently of the supply and take-up functions.

The transverse orientation of the looping configurations with respect to the plating line permits convenient and compact location of the supply and take-up functions laterally of the line, rather than endwise, such that these functions can be accessible at the same side of the line for handling by a single operator; or two plating lines can be arranged side-by-side with the supply and take-up functions of one line immediately adjacent the supply and take-up functions of the other line for simultaneous operation of the two lines conveniently by a single crew, and in some instances possibly by a single operator.

In the preferred embodiment, the looping configurations of the strip material are obtained by training the strip material around an axially progressing series of pulleys oriented to form said looping configurations transverse to the direction of progression and further oriented with the plane of each pulley intersecting the plane of the serially adjacent pulley at a common tangent along which the strip material extends between adjacent pulleys. With this common tangent orientation the extent of the strip material between adjacent pulleys is always in the plane of both pulleys so that there is no sidewise component to the strip advance that must be controlled or compensated for as by guide pulleys or other elements, and the strip material is stabilized on the pulleys without sidewise displacement so that configurated strip material can be handled effectively at high speeds without damage or fouling by pulley flanges or other side guides.

This common tangent pulley orientation is utilized to advantage in the aforementioned looping configurations in advance of and subsequent to the treatment stations, as well as through the treatment stations, to stabilize the strip material on the pulleys not only for reliable highspeed operation, but also for effective control of the strip material when the extent of the looping configurations is varied to modulate the strip material advance.

The features and advantages of the present invention are incorporated in the preferred embodiment described in detail below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an overall continuous plating line incorporating the preferred embodiment of the method and means for handling flexible strip material of the present invention;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are complementary elevational views, partially in section, of the plating treatment stations of the overall plating line of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3a and 3b are complementary horizontal sectional views, partially broken away, of the plating treatment stations of FIGS. 2a and 2b taken along line 33 of FIGS. 211 and 2b;

FIG. 4 is an end view, partially in section, of the plating line of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged elevation, partially broken away, of the take-up accumulating means of the plating line of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the drive shaft mounting at the left of the plating line of FIG. 2a, taken along line 66 of FIG. 2a;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a canted pulley mounting, taken along line 77 of FIG. 2a;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of a washer unit taken along line 88 of FIG. 20;

FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a section of a representative strip material that may be handled effectively by the method and means of the present invention in a plating line such as illustrated herein; and

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view of the strip material of FIG. 9.

In the illustrated embodiment, the apparatus is adapted for electro-plating flexible strip material S, such as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the manufacture of electrical connector elements of the type used in computer and aircraft wiring. This strip material S has been stamped and formed in a preceding manufacturing stage from a thin strip of material, such as brass, to provide a series of connector portions P of a desired configuration with the connector portions P joined in a continuous series by narrow intermediate sections S, from which the connector portions P are to be ultimately severed to form electrical connector elements in a manufacturing operation subsequent to plating. As seen in FIG. 10, the confi urations of the connector portions P extend from flat faces P that are joined to the intermediate sections S to form a continuous flat surface that facilitates handling of the strip material S through the apparatus irrespective of the configuration of the connector portions. The particular strip material configuration illustrated is only an example of one type that can be handled by the method and means of the present invention, which is not intended to be limited to this confi uration as various other configurated or unconfigurated strip materials can be handled by the present invention.

The strip material S is trained through a plating line for sequential treatment at a series of stations. In the embodiment illustrated, brass strip material is treated to obtain a plating of tin thereon by passing the strip material sequentially through an initial cleaning station tank A containing an alkaline bath electrically energized through electrode bars A to clean the strip material by electrolysis. following which the strip material passes to a first rinse station tank B in which any pick-up of alkaline bath solution is water rinsed from the strip material. It is then scoured in an acid bath in a scouring station tank C, follOWing which it is water rinsed in a second rinse station tank D to remove any acid bath pick-up. The strip material S then makes several passes through a plating station tank E containing an electrolyte bath, such as fiuoborate tin, and tin anode bars E electrically energized to deposit a plate of tin on the strip material S by electrolysis. It is then passed through a drag-out station tank F at which any plating solution that is carried from the plating station by the strip material drips into the drag-out station tank F and is returned to the plating solution. Next, the strip material S passes through a final rinse station tank G where it is again water rinsed, and then through a drying station H where it is dried by heat and air to complete the plating treatment.

In this type of plating line the strip material is normally trained around pulleys disposed with their axes transverse to the line so that the strip material is disposed parallel to the line for straight line advance from station to station. A number of the pulleys are driven to maintain advance of the strip material, which requires a corresponding number of pulley drive shafts with a resulting ditficulty in synchronizing the peripheral speeds of the drive pulleys. As a result, the rate of strip material ad vance must be restricted to permit reliable control of over or under feeding and it is normally necessary to provide compensating means, such as variabl accumulators intermediate the drive pulleys to compensate for differences in drive speeds, thereby complicating the system and extending the overall length of the plating line. Further, the normal pulley arrangement, particularly at the stations where the strip material must make several passes before leaving the station, imposes a sidewise component to the strip material advance with the result that delicate material and highly configurated material cannot be easily handled, especially at high speeds, without undue wear of pulley flanges or damage to the strip material configuration.

In contrast, the present invention utilizes a common drive shaft such that high-speed synchronous drive can be obtained, requires no intermediate compensating means with the result that a simplified and compact plating line can be arranged, and trains the strip material without sidewise advance. These advantages are obtained in the present invention by training the strip material S as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b in serially arranged looping configurations oriented transversely with respect to the length of the plating line to impose a spiral-like path on the strip material, with the spiral-like path progressing gradually along the length of the plating line. This results in a compact serial arrangement of the pulleys and permits a common drive shaft 20 to carry a plurality of coaxial drive pulleys at spaced stations. Thus, the common drive shaft 20 carries directly thereon a pair of cleaning station drive pulleys 21, a single scouring station drive pulley 22 and a bank of plating station drive pulleys 23 for synchronous high-speed drive. This arrangement also facilitates compact mounting of the handling apparatus on a common elevator platform 24 for simultaneous shifting of the apparatus as a unit between a lowered operative position (FIGS. 2a and 2b) and a raised inoperative position (FIG. 1) without disrupting the general looping configuration orientation along the plating line. In addition, the transverse looping configuration orientation is compatible with a pulley arrangement wherein the series of pulleys is disposed in an axially progressing alternation with the plane of each pulley intersecting the plane of the serially adjacent pulley at a common tangent (see FIGS. 3a and 3b) along which the strip material extends between pulleys so that the strip material is always advancing centrally with respect to the adjacent pulleys without any harmful sidewise component, thereby further facilitating highspeed operation.

The strip material S is initially fed to the apparatus from a suply reel I (seen at the left in FIG. 1) removably mounted for free feeding rotation on a stud 25 extending from a standard 26 that also carries a guide pulley 27 under which the strip material S is trained as it advances to the first pulley of an upper set 28 of pulleys of an input accumulator 29 located intermediate the supply reel I and the first treatment station of the plating line. This input accumulator 29 has a lower set 30 of pulleys for training of the strip material S in a progression of looping configurations alternately from a pulley of one set to the serially adjacent pulley of the other set progressively along the axes of the sets. The pulleys of the lower set 30 are canted with respect to the pulleys of the upper set 28 with the rear edge of each lower set pulley vertically aligned along a common tangent with the back edge of a corresponding upper set pulley and the front edge of each lower set pulley vertically aligned along a common tangent with the front edge of the next adjacent upper sot pulley so that the strip material S advances between pulleys along common tangents and is thereby stabilized centrally on the pulleys. The upper set 28 of pulleys includes one more pulley than the lower set 30 so that the strip material can be trained from the last pulley 28 of the upper set to the cleaning station of the planting line.

As described in detail hereinbelow in relation to a similar take-up accumulator, the lower set 30 of pulleys is mounted on a frame 31 for vertical movement to allow variation in the reserve of strip material trained on the input accumulator so that a constant rate of feed to the plating line can be maintained regardless of variations in the rate of feed from the supply reel I and during replacement of an empty reel with a full reel. The lower set 30 of pulleys is counterbalanced by a pulley mounted counterweight 32 for substantially free vertical movement in response to differences in input and output strip material feed in the same manner as described hereinafter with respect to the take-up accumulator.

All of the input accumulator pulleys, with the exception of the aforementioned last pulley 28' of the upper set 28 and the pulley immediately adjacent thereto, are mounted for free rotation on shafts 33 and 34. The last upper set pulley 28' and the immediately adjacent pulley are fixed to the upper pulley set shaft 33, and yieldable retarding means, such as a conventional electrical brake mechanism 35, is mounted on the input accumulator frame 31 in engagement with the upper set shaft 33 to apply a yieldable retarding force to these last two pulleys so that a desired tension is maintained on the strip material without overfeeding as the strip material advances to the plating line.

The last input accumulator upper set pulley 28 is in substantial tangential alignment with the back edge of the first pulley 36 of three immersion pulleys in the aforemen tioned cleaning bath tank A such that the strip material S extends along a common tangent to the back edge of this first immersion pulley 36. The strip material S is trained under this first immersion pulley 36 from the front edge of which it extends upwardly to the first of the aforementioned pair of cleaning station drive pulleys 21, then downwardly to the second pulley 37 of the three immersion pulleys, upwardly to the second of the drive pulleys 21, downwardly to the third immersion pulley 38, and from there to the front edge of a transfer pulley 39, the strip material S thereby having been trained in axially progressing alternation along the pulleys to form three looping configurations progressing in a spiral-like path making three passes through the electrolytic alkaline bath in the cleaning station tank A.

The pair of cleaning station drive pulleys 21 are coaxial, being mounted on the first section 20 of the common drive shaft 20. As seen in FIG. 20, these drive pulleys are formed by three spaced annular flanges 40 on a drum 41 that is fixed to the drive shaft section 20, which is supported in a pair of dielectric sleeve hearings on upstanding brackets 43 mounted on the aforementioned elevator platform 24 at opposite sides of the drum 41. The drum 41 and shaft section 20' are of electrically conductive material for making electrical connection between an electrical contact wheel 43 fixed to the outer end of the shaft section 20 and the strip material S to form an electrolysis circuit in the cleaning bath between the strip material S and the electrode bars A. This contact wheel 43 rotates in a yoke 44 (FIG. 6) connected to an outside electrical power source and is supported on a pair of spring brackets 45 mounted on, but electrically insulated from, the elevator platform 24. The spring brackets 45 urge the yoke 44 against the contact wheel 43 with the position of the yoke being limited by adjusting nuts 46.

The three cleaning bath immersion pulleys 36, 3'7 and 38 are preferably formed of non-corrosive plastic and are mounted on a common horizontal shaft 47 that is parallel to the common drive shaft 20 and is fixed to the lower end of a supporting post 48 that depends from the elevator platform 24. The immersion pulleys are canted on the shaft 47 to dispose the front edge of the first imrnersion pulley 36 in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the first of the drive pulleys 21, the back edge of the second immersion pulley 37 in vertical common tangent alignment with the back edge of the first drive pulley, the front edge of the second immersion pulley 37 in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the second drive pulley, and the back edge of the third immersion pulley 38 in vertical common tangent alignment with the back edge of the second drive pulley, with the result that the strip material S is trained for advancement in a spiral-like path without any sidewise advancement between pulleys.

The canted mounting of the immersion pulleys 36, 37 and 38 on the shaft 47 is shown in section in the enlargement of FIG. 7. Each pulley is mounted on a hub 49 with an intermediate bearing sleeve S0 that permits free rotation of the pulley on the hub. The hubs 49 have shaft mounting bores 51 that intersect the center points of the hubs but are inclined to the geometrical centerlines of the hubs at the same angle as the angle of canting of the pulley that is necessary to dispose the pulleys at the above described common tangent relationship with the drive pulleys 21. The hubs 49 are retained on the mounting shaft 47 against rotation between a pair of Opposed ann-ular positioning blocks 52 fixed on the shaft and having inclined hub engaging faces 52' that position the hubs and prevent rotation thereof.

The aforementioned transfer pulley 39 receives the strip material S as it leaves the last immersion pulley 3-8 and transfers it to the first rinse station. This transfer pulley 39 is mounted above the common drive shaft for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 53 extending from the upper end of an upstanding post 54 that is carried by the elevator platform 24. The transfer pulley shaft 53 is canted with respect to the length of the plating line to cant the transfer pulley 39 for advance of the strip material S, with the front edge of the pulley in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the last cleaning station immersion pulley 38 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a single immersion pulley 55 in the first rinse station tank B. This first rinse station immersion pulley 55 is mounted in canted relation on a horizontal shaft 56 in the same manner as the above-described mounting of the cleaning station immersion pulleys 36, 37 and 38. The shaft 56 is parallel to the common drive shaft 20 and is secured to the lower end of a depending post 57 that is attached to the underside of the elevator frame 24.

This post 57 also supports a washer unit 58 in vertical alignment with the front edge of the immersion pulley 55 for passage of the strip material S therethrough as it leaves the first rinse station tank B. This washer unit 58 (FIG. 8) includes a bracket 59 secured to the post 57 and extending horizontally therefrom to support by a metal strap attachment 60 a generally cylindrical tube 61 through which the strip material passes. The tube 61 has a fiat side 61' in which is seated a radially disposed nozzle 62 opening interiorly of the tube and connected to a conduit 63 from an exterior source of water under pressure for providing a washing spray of water in the tube 61, which spray strikes the strip material S directly from the nozzle 62 and indirectly by rebounding from the wall of the tube to effect thorough washing of the strip material S.

The strip material S is transferred from the first rinse station tank B to the scouring station tank C by a transfer pulley 64 mounted for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 65 above the common drive shaft 20 and extending from the upper end of an upstanding post 66 fixed to the elevator platform 24, with the transfer pulley shaft 65 canted with respect to the plating line to dispose the pulley with its front edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the aforementioned first rinse station immersion pulley 55 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a first immersion pulley 67 in the securing station tank C.

This first immersion pulley 67 in the scouring station tank C is paired with a second immersion pulley 68 in canted relation on a horizontal shaft 69 extending parallel to the common drive shaft 20 from a depending post 70 fixed to the underside of the elevator platform 24, with the canted pulley mounting being identical in form to the aforementioned mounting of the cleaning station immersion pulleys 36, 37 and 38. Above the pair of scouring station immersion pulleys 67 and 68 is the aforementioned scouring station drive pulley 22, which is mounted transverse to the length of the plating line on a second section of the common drive shaft 20 for rotation thereby. The immersion pulleys 67 and 68 are oriented with respect to this drive pulley 22 so that the front edge of the first immersion pulley 67 is in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the drive pulley 22 and the back edge of the second immersion pulley 68 is in vertical common tangent alignment with the back edge of the drive pulley 22.

The second drive shaft section 20" is mounted in hearing sleeves 71 supported by a pair of spaced brackets 72 on opposite sides of the drive pulley 22, and is drivingly connected to, but electrically insulated from, the first drive shaft section 20' by a dielectric coupling disc 73 for driving of the pair of cleaning station drive pulleys 21 and the scouring station drive pulley 22 at a synchronous rotational speed. The scouring station drive pulley 22, however, is of a slightly larger diameter than the cleaning station drive pulleys 21 and also than the plating station drive pulleys 23 so that the peripheral strip advancing speed of the scouring station drive pulley 22 will be slightly greater than that of the other drive pulleys, thereby picking up any slack in the strip material S between the cleaning bath drive pulleys 21 and the scouring bath drive pulley 22 and overfeeding the strip material to the plating bath to provide sufificient slackness to avoid excessive strain on the strip material as it is driven by the bank of plating bath pulleys 23.

Between the plating station tank E and the scouring station tank C, the strip material S is trained through the second rinse station tank D, to which it is transferred by a transfer pulley 74 that is mounted above the common drive shaft 20 for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 75 extending from the upper end of an upstanding post 76 fixed to the elevator platform 24, with the transfer pulley shaft 75 canted to dispose the pulley with its front edge in common vertical tangent alignment with the front edge of the aforementioned second scouring station immersion pulley 68 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a single immersion pulley 77 in the second rinse station tank D.

The second rinse station is identical to the first rinse station, with the immersion pulley 77 being mounted in canted relation on a horizontal shaft 78 extending parallel to the common drive shaft 20 from a post 79 depending from the elevator platform 24 in a construction and arrangement identical to that of the corresponding components of the first rinse station as described hereinbefore and including a washer unit 80 identical -to the first rinse station washer unit 58.

From this second rinse station immersion pulley 77 the strip material is advanced to the plating station tank E by a transfer pulley 81 that is mounted above the common drive shaft 20 for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 82 extending from the upper end of an upstanding post 83 fixed to the elevator platform 24, with the transfer pulley shaft 82 canted to the plating line to dispose the pulley with its front edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the aforementioned second rinse station immersion pulley 77 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of the first pulley 84' of a bank 84 of canted plating station immersion pulleys in the plating station tank E below the aforementioned bank of plating station drive pulleys 23 on a shaft 85 that is parallel to the common drive shaft 2%} and is supported at its ends in a subframe 86 depending from the elevator platform 24. Each pulley of the plating station immersion pulley bank 35 is mounted on the shaft 85 in canted relation in the same manner as the aforementioned cleaning station immersion pulleys 36, 37 and are mounted on their shaft 47, with the first plating station immersion pulley 84 having its front edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the first of the drive pulleys 23, and each succeeding immersion pulley having its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a drive pulley and its front edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the next succeeding drive pulley for serial progression of the strip material S alternatively between immersion and drive pulleys in looping configurations through the plating station. In the embodiment illustrated there are seven pulleys in the drive pulley bank 23 and eight pulleys in the immersion pulley bank 84, with the front edge of the last immersion pulley 84" being axially beyond the drive pulley bank and in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of another canted transfer pulley 87 mounted for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 88 extending above the common drive shaft 20 from an upstanding post 89 that is supported on the elevator platform 24.

The bank of plating station drive pulleys 23 are formed on a drum 90 having equally spaced annular flanges 91 that define the pulleys therebetween, The drum 90' is axially mounted on a third section 20 of the aforementioned common drive shaft 20 in fixed relation for rotation therewith. This third drive shaft section 20" is supported for rotation in a pair of dielectric sleeve bearings 92 on upstanding brackets 93 on the elevator platform 24 at opposite ends of the drum 90. The drum 90 and shaft section 20" are of electrically conductive material for making electrical connection between an electrical contact wheel 94 fixed on the shaft section 20" and the strip material S to form an electro-plating circuit in the plating bath between the anode bar E and the strip material S. The contact wheel 94 rotates in a yoke 95 connected to an outside electrical power source and supported by a bracket 96 on the elevator frame 24, with the wheel 94, yoke 95 and bracket 96 being identical to the previously described wheel 42, yoke 44 and bracket 45 associated with the first drive shaft section 20. Similarly, the third drive shaft section 20' is electrically insulated from, but coaxially connected between, the second drive shaft section 20 and a speed reduction unit 97 by dielectric coupling discs 98 and 99 identical to the aforementioned coupling disc 73 that connects the first and second drive shaft sections 20" and 20".

From the plating station, the aforementioned transfer pulley 87 advances the strip material S to the drag-out station tank F in which a canted drag-out pulley 100 trains the strip material in a looping configuration to allow plating solution picked up by the strip to drip into the tank F. This drag-out pulley 100 is mounted on a horizontal shaft 101 extending parallel to the common drive shaft 20 from a post 102 that depends from the elevator platform 24, with the pulley being mounted on the shaft 101 in the same canted relation as the aforementioned cleaning station immersion pulleys 36, 37 and 38 are mounted on their shaft 47, such that the rear edge of this drag-out pulley 100 is in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of the aforementioned transfer pulley 87 thereabove.

From the drag-out tank F, the strip material is trained to the final rinse station tank G by a transfer pulley 103 mounted for free rotation on a horizontal shaft 104 extending from a post 105 that depends from the elevator platform 24, with the shaft 104 being canted to the length of the plating line to position the pulley with its front edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the drag-out pulley 100 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a final rinse station immersion pulley 106 in the final rinse station tank G.

The final rinse station immersion pulley 106 is mounted in canted relation on a horizontal shaft 107 extending from a depending post 108 secured to the elevator platform 24 in an arrangement identical to that of the immersion pulleys 55 and 77 at the first and second rinse stations.

From the final rinse station tank G, the strip material S is trained to the drying station H by a transfer pulley 109 mounted identical to the mounting of the preceding transfer pulley 103 on a canted horizontal shaft 116 extending from a post 111 depending from the elevator platform 24, with the front edge of the transfer pulley 109 in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the final rinse station immersion pulley 106 and its rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of a canted lead-in pulley 112 therebelow in the drying station H. The lead-in pulley 112 is mounted on a horizontal shaft 113 extending parallel with the common drive shaft from a post 114 that depends from the elevator platform 24, and is canted in the same manner as the immersion pulleys of the preceding treatment stations, with the front edge of the pulley 112 being in vertical alignment with a hot-air drying unit 115 that is secured by a bracket 116 to the front side of the elevator platform 24. This hot-air drying unit 115 is tubular, having a vertical drying chamber 117 of substantial vertical extent through which the strip material S advances. Three vertically spaced air heating and blowing units 118 of conventional design are exteriorly supported in hollow mountings 119 along the hot-air drying unit 115, with the mountings 119 inclined downwardly toward the chamber 117 and communicating therewith to direct the hot air discharge from the air heating and blowing units 118 downwardly into the chamber for drying action against the upwardly advancing strip material S.

Above the hot-air drying unit 115 is a drying station drive pulley 120 that has its front edge aligned with the center of the drying chamber 117 and in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of the aforementioned lead-in pulley 112. This drive pulley 120 is canted so that its rear edge is in vertical alignment with a vertical drying chamber 121 of a radiant heat drying unit 122 that is attached by a bracket 123 to the rear side of the elevator platform 24 at a slight advance along the plating line from the hot-air drying unit 115. This radiant heat drying unit 122 extends vertically with four side panels 124 defining the chamber 121 therebetween. Each panel 124 carries an electrical resistance heating rod 125 vertically along its inner face with the rods 125 connected to an exterior electrical power source. The heat generated by the rods 125 radiates within the chamber 121 to heat the strip material S as it advances through the unit 122 to a lead-out pulley 126 therebelow.

The lead-out pulley 126 is mounted for free rotation coaxially on the aforementioned shaft 113- on which the canted lead-in pulley 112 is mounted and has its rear edge vertically aligned with the chamber 121 of the radiant heat drying unit 122 and in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of the drying station drive pulley 120.

This drying station drive pulley 129 is fixed on a canted mounting shaft 127 that has its outer end supported by an upstanding post 128 attached to the elevator platform 24 and its other end attached by a universal coupling 129 to the end of an intermediate drive shaft 130 that is supported parallel with the common drive shaft 20 by a pair of spaced brackets 131 extending upwardly from the elevator platform 24. The other end of the intermediate drive shaft 130 has fixed thereon a timing pulley 132 that is coplanar with another timing pulley 133 driven by the gear reduction unit 97 and to which latter timing pulley 133 the coupling disc 99 is attached for driving of the common drive shaft 20 by an electric motor 134 carried by the elevator platform 24 and drivingly connected to the gear reduction unit 97, which is also carried by the elevator platform 24.

The timing pulley 132 and 133 have identical peripheral extents and are drivingly connected by a timing belt 135, such that the drying station drive pulley Will be driven through the intermediate drive shaft and canted shaft 127 at precisely the same rotational speed as the common drive shaft 20, and the circumference of the drying station drive pulley 120 is identical to that of the bank of plating station drive pulleys 23 to provide synchronous drive of the strip material S.

The synchronous drive of the strip material S is maintained regardless of fluctuations in the rate at which the strip material is taken up as it leaves the plating line by the inclusion of a take-up accumulator 13:: (FIGS. 4 and 5) to which the strip material S is trained from the drying station lead-out pulley 126. This take-up accumultaor 136 has an upper set of pulleys 137 mounted on a shaft 138 that extends parallel to the common drive shaft 20 with the pulley set shaft 138 being supported for rotation in spaced bearings 139 at the top of a take-up accumulator frame 140.

The first pulley 137' of the upper set 137 is tangentially aligned with the aforementioned drying station lead-out pulley 126 for training of the strip material S directly therefrom. This first pulley 137' and the pulley immediately adjacent thereto are fixed to the pulley set shaft 138, which is driven by a conventional constant torque drive motor 141 mounted on the frame in line with the shaft 138 and connected thereto to apply a yieldable rotational force for tensioning the strip material S sufficiently to prevent slippage on the drying station drive pulley 120. The other pulleys of the upper set 137 are mounted for free rotation on the shaft 138 .to accommodate ditferential rotation.

In the take-up accumulator 136 the strip material S is trained in looping configurations in axially progressing alternation between the pulleys of the upper pulley set 137 and a lower set of pulleys 142. For this purpose the pulleys of the lower set 142 are mounted on a common shaft 143 disposed parallel to and in vertical plane with the upper set shaft 138, and with the pulleys of the lower set 142 canted on the shaft 143 to dispose the front edge of each pulley in vertical common tangent alignment with the front edge of a corresponding pulley of the upper set 137 and the rear edge in vertical common tangent alignment with the rear edge of the next succeeding pulley of the upper set 137. The canted mounting of the pulleys of the lower set 142 on the shaft 143 is identical to the above-described canted mounting of the cleaning bath immersion pulleys 36, 37 and 38 on their shaft 47.

The lower pulley set shaft 142 is mounted on slidable subframe 144 for vertical movement in parallelism with the upper pulley set shaft 138 to vary the reserve of strip material in the looping configurations on the take-up accumulator 136 to accommodate variations in the rate of discharge while maintaining a constant rate of take up from the plating line. This slidable subframe 144 consists of a pair of vertical sleeve portions 145 joined by a lower cross bar 147 and slidable on vertical posts 148 of the take-up accumulator frame 140, which posts 148 are spaced apart for support of the aforementioned spaced bearings 139 that support the upper pulley set shaft 138. Each sleeve portion 145 has attached thereto a shaft mounting 149 in which an end of the lower pulley set shaft 143 is mounted for support of the shaft therebetween.

The weight of the subframe 144 and lower pulley set 142 is counterbalanced by a counterweight 150 attached to the end of a cable 151 that has its other end attached to the center of the subframe upper cross bar 147 and extends therefrom over a first guide pulley 152 mounted on a cross bar 153 that is fixed to the vertical posts 148 of the frame 140 and extends therebeyond for mounting of a second guide pulley 154 outwardly of one of the posts for guiding of the cable 151 thereover to suspend the counterweight 150 out of the path of the subframe 144. The counterweight 150 acts to relieve the strip material S of a su'llicient portion of the weight of the lower pulley 1 1 set 14-2 and subframe 144 so that undue tension is not imparted to the strip material S as it advances through the take-up accumulator 136 and so that the lower pulley set 142 and su bframe 144 will be capable of upward movement without unduly straining the strip material S when the strip material is being withdrawn from the takup accumulator faster than it is being advanced thereto. The upper pulley set 142 and subfrarne 144 are, however, heavier than the counterweight so that they can move downwardly to accommodate the increase in the reserve of strip material when the strip material S is being with drawn slower than it is advanced to the accumulator 136.

Downward movement of the lower pulley set 142 and subframe 144 is cushioned to prevent damaging shock by a vertical air cylinder 155 mounted on a pin 156 in the base 157 of the take-up accumulator frame and retained in a vertical position by a bored bracket 153 attached to the base 157 and through which the cylinder extends. A piston rod 159 extends upwardly from the cylinder 155 and has a pad member 166 seated thereon in alignment with the lower cross bar 146 of the subframe 144 for engagement thereof when the subframe moves downwardly, causing the piston rod 159 to move against the column of air in the cylinder 155 to cushion and ultimately stop downward movement of the subframe 144.

The upper pulley set 137 of the take-up accumulator 136 includes one more pulley than the lower pulley set 142, with the last pulley 137" of the upper set receiving the strip material S from the lower set 142 and training it for advance downwardly to a take-up reel 1 tangentially aligned therewith. The take-up reel I is removably fixed on a horizontal drive shaft 161 supported on a standard 162 and driven through a belt and pulley connection 163 by a variable speed electrical drive motor 164 that is regulated by a potentiometer 165 mounted on a bracket 166 on one of the aforementioned take-up accumulator subframe sleeve portions 145. This potentiometer 165 is controlled to vary the speed of the take-up drive motor 164 by rotational motion of a shaft 167 that has a sprocket 168 fixed thereon. The teeth of this sprocket 168 engage a vertical fixed chain 169 that is attached to and extends between the base 157 and the cross bar 153 of the input accumulator frame 146 and extends through a pair of spaced guides 176 on the subframe sleeve portion 145 above and below the sprocket 168 to retain the chain and sprocket in engagement for action in the manner of a rack and pinion. Thus, upward movement of the subframe 144 as a result of coiling of the strip material S on the reel I faster than the strip material is being taken up on the accumulator 136 will cause a motor regulating rotation of the potentiometer shaft 167 to slow down the reel drive motor in relation to the position of the subframe 144 above a neutral position; and, conversely, a downward movement of the subframe 144 due to an increase in accumulation resulting from coiling on the reel I at a lesser rate than take-up by the accumulator 136 will reverse motor regulating rotation of the potentiometer shaft 167 to speed up the reel drive motor in relation to the position of the subframe 144 below the neutral position. This reel drive motor regulation in response to the subframe position tends to maintain a workable accumulation of strip material such that plating line operation can be maintained at a constant speed while fluctuations in the rate of coiling are tolerated and corrccted.

The extent of accumulation of strip material S on the take-up accumulator 136 is such that coiling can be completely stopped, an empty reel substituted for the full reel J and coiling resumed before the subframe 144 has reached its lower limit, such that the period of continuous operation is not restricted by the capacity of the take-up reel J. Similarly, the afore-mentioned input accumulator 2) permits replacement of a full supply reel 1 for an emptied reel while continuous plating line operation is maintained.

The input accumulator 29 is identical in construction and operation except for the omission of the potentiometer and related motor regulation elements and the substitution of the aforementioned brake mechanism 35 for the drive motor 141. Both accumulators 29 and 136 are supported and fixed in relation to the plating line by struts 171 connected to the upper portions of the accumulators, such as to the frame 146 of the take-up accumulator 136 (FIG. 4) and to the main framework 172 of the plating line.

This main framework 172 serves to support and guide the aforementioned elevator platform 24 in proper position with respect to the treatment stations and includes a pair of spaced upstanding I-beams 173 at the ends of the centerline of the plating line outwardly of the treatment stations and with their flanges 173' extending transverse to the length of the plating line. Each of these beams 173 extends upwardly from a transverse base plate 174 and is rigidly positioned by a pair of inclined bracing members 175 secured to the outer ends of the base plate 174 and to the beam 173 upwardly of the base plate. A transverse top channel member 176 is secured to the top of each beam 173 and extends horizontally to both sides from the beam 173 for connection to a pair of transversely spaced stringer members 177 that extend the full length of the plating line for securing together the beams 173 in an integral framework 172.

The elevator platform 24 is formed from a pair of back-to-back channel beams 178 that are spaced apart sufiiciently to straddle closely the framework I-beams 173 and are secured together beyond the I-beams by end plates 179 and at various points intermediate the spaced framework I-beams by the mountings for the aforementioned pulley posts that depend from and extend upwardly from the elevator platform for support of pulleys as described hereinabove. The elevator platform channel beams 178 are retained against horizontal movement with respect to the upstanding framework I-beams 173 by inwardly extending lugs 180 (FIGS. 3a and 311) that engage the inner faces of each I-beam flange 173, thereby preventing lengthwise shifting while permitting vertical movement of the elevator platform 24.

Vertical movement and suspension of the elevator platform 24 is obtained by a pair of spaced cables 181 that have ends secured to the elevator end plates 179 by hook and eye connections 182. These cables 181 are wound on drums 183 at opposite ends of a pair of coaxial elevator operating shafts 184 to which the drums 183 are keyed for simultaneous rotation therewith. The inner ends of the shafts 184 are connected to a drive motor and gear reduction unit 135 for synchronous operation of the shafts and drums to wind or unwind the cables 181.

The drums 183 are supported in spaced bracket plates 186 depending from a longitudinal frame 187 to which the drive motor and gear reduction unit is also secured and which frame 187 is secured to a ceiling or other suitable structure for suspension of the elevator platform 24- and the components mounted thereon.

As all of the previously described pulleys, washer units, drying units and associated components of the strip handling apparatus intermediate the input accumulator 29 and take-up accumulator 136 are mounted on the elevator platform 24, the foregoing elevator system functions to raise or lower all of the components simultaneously and without disrupting the strip material S disposition on the pulleys.

During operation of the plating line the elevation platform 24 is disposed in a lower operative position (FIGS. 2a, 2b, and 4) in which the strip material handling components are in proper vertical position with respect to the treatment station tanks A, B, C, D, E, F and G for treatment of the strip material S as it advances along the plating line. The positions of the elevator platform 24 in this operative position can be controlled by a limit switch (not shown) that steps the drive motor and gear reduction unit 185 when the elevator platform has reached a position wherein the various immersion pulleys are submerged to desired depths in the baths in the treatment tanks.

When it is necessary to have easy access to the components carried by the elevator platform 2d for repair thereof or for initial training of a lead strip, or when it is necessary to remove the components from the tanks as when the plating treatment is stopped or when a tank must be repaired or replaced, the drive motor and gear reduction unit 185 is operated to raise the elevator platform- 24 to an inoperative position (FIG. 1) in which all of the components carried thereon are above the levels of the treatment tanks. This raised inoperative position is determined by another limit switch (not shown) that stops the drive motor and gear reduction unit 185 when the platform reaches this position.

The elevator platform 24 is in this raised position (FIG. 1) when the plating line is being prepared for operation, which entails providing the various solutions in the treatment tanks and placing circulation systems therefor in operation and manually training a dummy lead strip through the entire system to a take-up reel. A supply reel I of strip material S to be plated is then mounted on the stud 25 and the leading end of the strip material is at tached to the trailing end of the dummy lead strip. The elevator drive motor and gear reduction unit 185 is then operated to lower the elevator platform 24 to its operative position (FIGS. 2a, 2b and 4) and the take-up reel drive motor 164, common drive shaft drive motor 134, air heater and blower units 118 and radiant heat drying unit 122 are started, thereby placing the apparatus in plating operation.

The input accumulator 29 and take-up accumulator 136 function to maintain constant strip material input to and take up from the plating line and also permit reel replacement during continuous plating line operation. Thus, when the dummy lead strip has been completely wound onto a take-up reel the trailing end thereof is detached from the leading end of the strip material and the lead strip reel is replaced with an empty reel to which the leading end of the strip material is attached and winding of the strip material thereon is commenced, during which reel change the strip material is accumulating on the take-up accumulator 136 while continuous plating line operation is maintained and following which the take-up reel drive motor 164 is regulated by the potentiometer 165 to wind the strip material on the reel at a faster rate than it is being taken up on the accumulator until only the desired equilibrium accumulation is obtained on the accumulator. In a corresponding manner, the input accumulator 29 permits an emptied supply reel to be replaced with a full supply reel and the leading end of the new section of strip material attached to the trailing end of the preceding section while the strip material accumulation on the accumulator is being depleted to maintain constant input to the plating line. In the embodiment illustrated, the supply reel I is not positively driven and unwinding is regulated by the operator to obtain proper accumulation on the input accumulator, but a regulated drive motor could be utilized, if desired.

At the end of a run of as many strip material sections as desired, the dummy lead strip is attached to the end of the last strip material section and the apparatus is stopped after the last section has been completely wound on a take-up reel with the dummy lead strip remaining in the apparatus in readiness for the next run. Finally, the elevator platform 24 is raised to its inoperative position to remove the immersion pulleys and other components from the treatment tanks.

The entire plating operation can be handled easily by two operators, one at the supply reel position and the other at the take-up reel position, and as these positions are on the same side of the plating line due to the locations of the accumulators 2) and 136, it is possible, under ideal conditions, for a single operator to handle the entire operation. This location of the accumulators and the reels on the same side of the plating line also permits the arrangement of two plating lines side by side with reels adjacent so that two operators can operate two plating lines simultaneously.

In a typical plating operation utilizing the above-described apparatus high speed operation in the order of at least feet per minute is practical with speeds in the order of 300 feet per minute or more being possible. In comparison, conventional plating lines are capable of practical operation at optimum speeds in the order of only 45 feet per minute.

It should be understood that the present invention has been described in detail above for the purpose of illustration only as the invention is applicable as Well to plating processes of types other than that described above and to various modifications of the strip material handling method and means. The present invention is not intended to be limited by this detailed description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In the plating of flexible strip material, the method of handling such material in continuous lengths for delivery in strip form through the sequential treatment stations required for plating, which method comprises providing a continuous length supply of said flexible strip material, withdrawing said material in strip form from said supply, training the withdrawn strip material in serially arranged looping configurations for traveling immerson successively at the sequential plating treatment stations, while orienting the trained disposition of said looping configurations transversely with respect to the direction in which said strip material must progress successively through said plating treatment stations, and while causing said traveling strip material to progress successively through said plating treatment stations by arranging the transverse orientation at which said looping configurations are trained to impose a spiral-like travel path on said strip material, a plurality of said looping configurations being oriented with coaxial arcuate portions, a common driving force being applied simultaneously at said coaxial arcuate portions to maintain synchronous progression of said strip material through said looping configurations, and at least one of said coaxial arcuate portions being oriented at a dififerent radius of curvature than other of said portions so as to modulate the tension in adjacent looping configurations during application of said common driving force.

2. In the plating of flexible strip material, the method of handling such material according to claim 1 and characteri-Zed further by training said strip material in a plurality of looping configurations intermediate said supply and the first of said treatment stations to provide a substantial length of strip material therebetween, varying the size of said intermediate looping configurations to accommodate variations in the withdrawal from said supply while said strip material advances from said intermediate looping configurations to the looping configurations at said treatment stations at the synchronized progression imposed by said common driving force, and yieldably retarding said strip material as it advances from said intermediate looping configuration to tension the strip material as it advances to said treatment stations.

3. In the plating of flexible strip material, the method of handling such material according to claim 1 and characterized further by training said strip material in a plurality of final looping configurations subsequent to said treatment stations, taking up said strip material from said final looping configurations to accommodate variations in take-up during the synchronous advance of the strip material from the treatment stations, and imposing a yieldable advancing force to said strip material at said final looping configurations to maintain said synchronous advance of the strip material from the treatment stations.

4. In the plating of flexible strip material, the method of coupling such material according to claim 1 and characterized further in that said strip material is withdrawn from said supply to the looping configurations transversely of the plating treatment stations at one side thereof, and by taking up said strip material from said looping configurations transversely of the plating treatment stations to the same side thereof as said supply.

5. In the plating of flexible strip material, the method of handling such material in continuous lengths for delivering in strip form through the sequential treatment stations required for plating, which method comprises providing a continuous length supply of said flexible strip material, withdrawing said material in strip form from said supply, training the Withdrawn strip material around an axially progressing series of pulleys through said sequential plating treatment stations in serially arranged looping configurations transverse to the direction in which said strip material must progress successively through said plating treatment stations, while orienting said pulleys with the plane of each pulley intersecting the plane of the serially adjacent pulley at a common tangent along which said strip material extends between said adjacent pulleys, while orienting a plurality of said pulleys coaxially and driving the same at the common axis thereof to maintain synchronous progression of said strip material, arranging a second plurality of said pulleys for training the immersion of said flexible strip material at said sequential plating treatment stations with related pulleys of said second plurality canted for directing the progression of said strip material between the pulleys of said first plurality, and providing a third plurality of said pulleys with a sufiicient canting to direct the transfer of said strip material from one treatment station to the next between pulleys of said second plurality.

6. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material in continuous lengths for delivery through the sequential treatment stations required for plating, said means comprising the combination of means for withdrawing said flexible strip material in strip form from a continuous length supply thereof, and means for training the withdrawn strip material in serially arranged looping configurations for traveling immersion successively at the sequential plating treatment stations, said training means being arranged for orienting said looping configurations transversely with respect to the direction in which said strip material must progress sucessively through said plating treatment stations, said training means being settable for arranging the transverse orientation at which said looping configurations are trained so that a spiral-like travel path is imposed on said strip material for causing it to progress successively through said plating treatment stations, and said supply of strip material being disposed to one side of said plating treatment stations for withdrawal of the strip material therefrom to said looping configurations transversely to the direction of progression of the strip material through the treatment stations, and means are provided at the same side of said plating treatment stations as said supply for taking up said strip material from said looping configurations transversely of said progression.

7. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 6 and characterized further by a supporting platform on which said training means is mounted, and means for shifting said supporting platform to move said training means between operative and inoperative positions with respect to said treatment stations.

8. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 6 and characterized further in that said training means includes means for orienting a plurality of said looping configura- 16 tions with coaxial arcuate portions, and means for applying a common driving force simultaneously on said coaxial arcuate portions to maintain synchronous progression of said strip material through said looping configurations, at least one of said coaxial arcuate portions having a different radius of curvature than other of said portions so as to modulate the tension in adjacent looping configurations as said common driving force is applied.

9. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 8 and characterized further by a common supporting platform on which said training means and said driving force applying means are mounted, and means for shifting said common supporting platform to move said training means and said driving force applying means simultaneously between operative and inoperative positions with respect to said treatment stations.

10. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 8 and characterized further by means for training said strip material in a plurality of looping configurations intermediate said supply and the first of said treatment stations to provide a substantial length of strip material therebetween, means for varying the size of said intermediate looping configurations to accommodate variations in the withdrawal from said supply during advance of said strip material from said intermediate looping configurations to the looping configurations at said treatment stations at the synchronized progression imposed by said common driving force means, and means yieldably retarding said strip material as it advances from said intermediate looping configurations to tension the strip material therebeyond.

11. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 8 and characterized further by means for training said strip material in a plurality of final looping configurations subsequent to said treatment stations, means for taking up said strip material as it advances from said final looping configurations, means for varying the size of said final looping configurations to accommodate variations in take-up during said synchronous advance of said strip material through said treatment stations, and means for imposing a yieldable advancing force to said strip material at said final looping configurations to maintain said synchronous advance of the strip material from the treatment stations.

12. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 6 and characterized further in that said training means comprises an axially progressing series of pulleys extending through said sequential plating treatment stations, means mounting said pulleys with the plane of each pulley intersecting the plane of the serially adjacent pulley at a common tangent along which said strip material extends between said adjacent pulleys to stabilize said strip material on said pulleys without sidewise displacement during advance of said strip material, a common drive shaft on which a plurality of said pulleys are mounted coaxially for simultaneous driving rotation, and means for rotating said common drive shaft to drive said coaxial pulleys synchronously, at least one of said coaxial pulleys having a different diameter than others of said coaxial pulleys to impose a different peripheral speed on said trained strip thereat, thereby modulating the tension in adjacent looping configurations of said strip material.

'13. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 12 and characterized further by a common supporting platform on which said pulleys and said common drive shaft are mounted, and means for shifting said common supporting platform to move simultaneously said pulleys and shaft between operative and inoperative positions with respect to said treatment stations.

14. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 6 and char acterized further in that said means for withdrawing said flexible strip material in strip form from a continuous supply thereof includes means for accumulating a variable reserve of said strip material from said supply in advance of said treatment stations, said accumulating means comprising two transversely Spaced sets of pulleys disposed with the pulleys of said sets in axially progressing alternation for training of said strip material progressively therearound in looping configurations, each of said pulleys being oriented with its plane intersecting the plane of the progressively adjacent pulley of the other set at a common tangent along which said strip material extends between the pulleys to stabilize said strip material on said pulleys without sidewise displacement during advance of said strip material, and means for shifting one of said sets of pulleys transversely with respect to the other of said sets to change the extent of said looping configurations, thereby varying the strip material reserve accumulated on said pulley sets to modulate the advance of strip material to said treating stations.

15. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 14 and characterized further by yieldable braking means acting on at least one of the last pulleys of one of said sets to apply a yieldable retarding tension to said strip material as it advances from said pulley sets to said treatment stations.

16. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 6 and characterized further by means for taking up said strip material from said treatment stations and means for accumulating a variable reserve of said strip material intermediate said treatment stations and said take-up means, said accumulating means comprising two transversely spaced sets of pulleys disposed with the pulleys of said sets in axially progressing alternation for training of said strip material progressively therearound in looping configurations, each of said pulleys being oriented with its plane intersecting the plane of the progressively adjacent pulley of the other set at a common tangent along which said strip material extends between the pulleys to stabilize said strip material on said pulleys without sidewise displacement during advance of said strip material, and means for shifting one of said sets of pulleys transversely with respect to the other of said sets to change the extent of said looping configurations, thereby varying the strip material reserve accumulated on said pulley sets to compensate for differences between the advance of the strip material from the treatment stations and the take up of strip material by said take-up means.

17. In the plating of flexible strip material, means for handling such material according to claim 16 and characterized further by means yieldably driving at least one of the first pulleys of one of said sets to tension the strip material as it progresses from the treatment stations.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,133,109 10/1938 Munson 9594 2,517,861 8/ 1950 Franklin 22642 2,771,984 11/ 1956 Ranney 226-42 2,797,089 6/1957 Lor-ig 2261l9 3,122,086 2/ 1964 Fitch 9594 ALLEN N. KNOWLES, Primary Examiner. 

